Past Courses

Parental substance use disorders increase the risk of child maltreatment and placement in foster care in part by compromising appropriate parenting practices and creating an environment that is not responsive to the needs of children. Substance use was second only to mental health as the most frequently identified risk factor for child maltreatment. Estimates from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) indicate that the prevalence of parental substance use disorders as an identified condition of removal more than doubled between 2000 and 2019, and that 50% of children under the age of one placed in foster care were removed for reasons related to parental substance use.

The amended Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) requires states to have policies to identify substance-exposed infants (SEI). Specifically, CAPTA requires that health providers notify Children’s Protective Services (CPS) of all infants identified as affected by substance abuse, withdrawal symptoms resulting from prenatal drug exposure, or a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. While CAPTA does not require states to investigate every report of substance exposure at birth, thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia require clinicians to report prenatal drug use, and forty-three jurisdictions include prenatal substance exposure as part of their definition of maltreatment.(Mathematica, 2023) While newborn drug testing is a commonly used approach to identify prenatal substance exposure, there are no guidelines that support the use of prenatal or newborn drug testing as an evidence-based practice to identify newborns at risk of maltreatment due to parental substance use disorder. This webinar will cover the complicated nature of drug testing newborns, CPS requirements around investigations, and the long term risk of maltreatment associated with substance-exposed newborns.

Nationally, 2% of youth who have experienced foster care graduate with a bachelor’s degree despite 80% reporting they have aspirations to attend college. Further, over 60,000 people identify as homeless on the FAFSA each year but are also underrepresented at graduation. Facilitators will share the unique needs of this student population and how family privilege impacts success in college. Participants will learn strategies for being a supportive adult and how to positively impact the campus culture for students from foster care or homelessness.

Note: This course is available for free to U-M SSW alumni as part of our Alumni Webinar Series, which features invited alumni speakers. Please know that non-alumni participants are welcome to register as well!

“The longer you swim in a culture, the more invisible it becomes”. That is why we’re carving out time together to discuss and apply evaluation and learning approaches that are proactively in service of equity. This interactive workshop will investigate common ways white supremacy shows up in program evaluation. Participants will learn how to take an alternative approach to building strong organizational learning cultures and understanding the impact of their work. We will reflect together on the ethical considerations involved in this approach to evaluation and the impact of embedding an equity lens to organizational learning.

This course will provide a basic understanding of trauma and the impact that trauma has on the body and how it presents in a psychotherapy setting. Trauma can come in many forms, ranging from societal and intergenerational trauma to singular events to chronic and complex life experiences. This course will examine how these traumatic events impact individuals, as well as note common reactions in clinicians and secondary exposure to trauma.

In addition to this, we will review three different types of trauma treatment, including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, and Internal Family Systems Therapy, as types of avenues for treatment and how they work. This part of the training is not a certification and will serve as a starting point in different trauma treatments, as well as explore commonalities between the different treatment styles.

Note: This course is available for free to U-M SSW alumni as part of our Alumni Webinar Series, which features invited alumni presenters. Please know that non-alumni participants are welcome to register as well!

This course provides an exploration of somatic therapy, delving into its foundational principles and distinguishing it from mindfulness practices. Participants will learn to identify clinical populations and settings where somatic therapy can be particularly effective, including trauma survivors, individuals with anxiety or depression, and those experiencing chronic pain. Drawing from personal experience, the instructor will share practical examples of integrating somatic therapy into clinical practice, offering insights into techniques and approaches that have yielded positive outcomes. Participants will gain practical strategies for incorporating somatic interventions into their own clinical work, with emphasis on cultivating cultural humility and addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion considerations. Additionally, the course will provide information on training options for further specialization in somatic therapy, empowering participants to deepen their understanding and skills in this transformative modality.

As our population continues to age, it is important that social workers have a good understanding of what caring for an aging parent looks like, who a family caregiver is, and what are some of the tasks of caring for an aging parent. All of us will, at some point, be in the position of caring for an aging parent, if we have not, already, or will have a client who is in this role. The workshop will also provide an overview of what elder abuse is and who is considered an older adult. In addition, the NASW Code of Ethics and the NASW Standards of Practice for Social Work Practice with Family Caregivers of Older Adults will be woven throughout the workshop.

This is a 2-hour self-paced online webinar discussing the use of DBT skills during CBT for Chronic Pain. The CBT-CP in this webinar is based on the Veterans Affairs Hospital developed CBT-CP. The manual can be found free online at: https://www.va.gov/PAINMANAGEMENT/docs/CBT-CP_Therapist_Manual.pdf#

CBT-CP has been found to be effective for decreasing catastrophizing, pain interference, pain intensity, and depression scores. Although CBT-CP is an evidence-based treatment, there are times in which a clinician and client may feel stuck. Thus, this presentation discussed Dialectical Behavior Therapy strategies that may be usefully employed during the course of CBT-CP.

Course created 2/4/2022

The Certificate in Political Social Work is designed for all social workers, regardless of area of primary practice, to fulfill their ethical obligation to engage in social and political action. Participants of this certificate program will learn how politics impacts the lives of those that they serve on both a micro and macro level, practice skills for advocating to policymakers, gain tools to empower clients to become politically engaged, and explore opportunities for running for office.

Foundations of Political Social Work: This module will include the historical and current role of social workers in the political process as well as knowledge that is core to political social work practice. Topics include: emerging political social work research and theory, political justice, ethics in political social work, and foundational skills in communicating political information.

Tools for Political Social Work: This module will cover skills and strategies that social workers can apply to their current practice as well as tools to enhance their political engagement. Topics include: identifying and combating fake news, advocacy and activism, and running campaigns.

Special Knowledge Areas for Political Social Work: This module covers important topic areas social workers should be familiar with when engaging in political social work practice, including organized labor and immigration. This module is intended to be responsive to emerging political topics relevant to social work.

Course updated 5/20/2021